Ribbons Placed At Sydney Cathedral Ahead Of George Pell Funeral In Solidarity With Child Abuse Survivors

Queer satirist and activist Pauline Pantsdown issued a call to action in the lead-up to Cardinal George Pell’s funeral at St Mary’s Cathedral, which is scheduled for February 2.

Pantsdown has said that he will be tying coloured ribbons to the fence of St Mary’s, and that others should do the same as a way to “remember the victims, not the enabler.” 

Originating in 2015, the ribbon protest was an initiative of the Loud Fence movement.

Colourful ribbons were attached to the front fence of the former St Alipius Boys’ School site in Ballarat, Victoria as a showing of solidarity with victims of child sexual abuse and to acknowledge the history of sexual abuse.

According to the Loud Fence Inc’s Facebook page, “Tying ribbons let survivors and victims know that we BELIEVE them, we CARE for them and we will not let this happen again.”

‘We Need Lots Of Colour For Pell’s Memorial Service To Mark His True Legacy’

In a tweet on January 16, Pantsdown wrote, “There’ll be a memorial service for Pell at St Marys in the next few days… Thinking it would be good if this fencing was covered with coloured ribbons, like in Ballarat, so that his legacy is properly remembered. I’ll tie some on tomorrow.”

There'll be a memorial service for Pell at St Marys in the next few days (no announcement of time/day yet). Thinking it would be good if this fencing was covered with coloured ribbons, like in Ballarat, so that his legacy is properly remembered. I'll tie some on tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/MMrN1WioWm

— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) January 16, 2023

In a subsequent post to Twitter, he wrote, And it’s *on*. Get yourself to St Mary’s over the next few days, Sydney – we need lots of colour for Pell’s memorial service to mark his true legacy. Remember the victims, not the enabler. This on the Cook & Philip pool end, but there are fences on the College St side too.”

And it's *on*. Get yourself to St Mary's over the next few days, Sydney – we need lots of colour for Pell's memorial service to mark his true legacy. Remember the victims, not the enabler. This on the Cook & Philip pool end, but there are fences on the College St side too. pic.twitter.com/q3cxVoPik5

— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) January 16, 2023

Sure enough, people have been responding with dozens of ribbons being tied mainly to the Cook and Philip pool side of the cathedral. 

According to Pantsdown, St Mary’s has been removing the ribbons but they seem, “a bit overwhelmed.”

They’ve been busy taking them down, but there are little patches of them *all along* the cathedral. Got the impression they’re a bit overwhelmed. Nice work, folks. pic.twitter.com/5laiMlvp8G

— Pauline Pantsdown (@PPantsdown) January 17, 2023

Pell Dies In Vatican City

Pell was convicted in 2018 of molesting two teenage choirboys at St Patrick’s Cathedral in 1996, while he was the archbishop of Melbourne.

He spent 13 months in prison and was acquitted by the high court in 2020.

In 2017, a royal commission found that Pell was aware of child sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Australia as early as the 1970s but had failed to take any action against them. 

He also had a history of saying anti LGBTQI statements.

In May 2022, Pell told a congregation at St Mary’s Cathedral, “God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve and important consequences follow from this. Our Judeo-Christian religious tradition allows men and women sexual expression within the bounds of family life, a sexuality which is life-giving. Homosexual acts are contrary to the natural law, they close the sexual act to the gift of life.”

Pell, 81, died of complications from hip surgery on January 10, in Vatican City.